Describe your project
A finished door can make the work look effortless. The choices that help it live in a room begin much earlier: the lumber, the fit, the surface, and the conditions it will face.
Look inside the shop ↓
20+years in the trade
Chuck Jones began learning woodworking with Peter Gould in Santa Fe. More than two decades later, the archive holds earlier print photographs of finished work alongside recent records from the shop. Together they trace a working life spent building, fitting, carving, and learning from the next piece.
These groups follow the work across the shop, from early carving and fitting to completed doors and furniture. The floral studies and assembly views below belong to the same single Spanish-cedar door.
Each mesquite door is 3 feet wide, 8 feet tall, and 3 inches thick. The shop photographs bring the pair and their carved-panel details close enough to see the handwork; the finished entry appears in the work gallery.
The first cuts establish the form; deeper relief and finer lines give the petals and leaves definition. The later shop photographs show the carving fitted into this single arched Spanish-cedar door. See the completed piece in the work gallery.
The carved panels give this single arched door a repeating rhythm. Here the Spanish-cedar door is under clamps in the shop, then standing outside with Chuck and Trey before installation.
The shop view makes the table's broad top and sturdy base easy to see. In the room, its natural edge and proportions become part of the space. Both photographs show the same black-walnut piece.
These photographs come from different jobs. They show how material is chosen, parts are fitted, and details are shaped before a door or table is ready for its place.
This available live-edge red-oak slab measures 13½ feet long and 4 feet wide. Chuck expects it to finish at about 2¼ inches thick. It is available alongside other Lightning to Legacy slabs for a future project.
This framed piece is held in alignment while it is assembled. The photograph doesn't show the joint itself, but it shows a stage that happens before any finish can make the work look complete.
The drawing, chisels, mallet, and partly cut flower share one bench. Chuck's carving keeps the evidence of the hand rather than sanding it into a machine-made surface.
As a surface develops, its grain and edges become clearer. The finish is a later decision, made with the material and the piece's future setting in mind.
Three floral forms rise from this shop panel. Their varied depth catches the light and gives the surface its texture.
As moisture changes, solid wood can expand or contract. A door or table has to be designed for the environment where it will live, not just for the day it leaves the shop.
Chuck uses traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery. It takes careful milling and fitting before the parts become a stable whole; finish cannot replace that work.
Grain, character, and suitability differ from one wood to another. The choice should start with where the piece will live, how it will be used, and the appearance you hope for.
An exterior entry and an indoor table meet different conditions. The right finish and maintenance conversation depends on the material, exposure, and intended use.
Approximate dimensions, design references, location, timing, and how the piece will be used are enough to begin a useful project brief.
Prepare a project brief